MEPs discussed, on Wednesday 17 January, the situation in Serbia following the December parliamentary elections (see EUROPE 13328/28). These elections, which saw the Progressive Party (SNS) of the President, Aleksandar Vučić, win, were marked by irregularities noted by international observers as well as major demonstrations in the streets of the capital, Belgrade, initiated by the opposition, to contest the results (see EUROPE 13317/19).
“I've seen a lot of elections, in Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Iraq, but since I became an election observer, I’ve never seen anything like this: mass migration to Belgrade, hundreds of voters removed from the lists, pressure on voters, no media coverage of opposition parties before the elections, publication of the results preventing appeals to the Court, thousands of voters pressurised and registered to favour the SNS. We want an international enquiry”, insisted Viola von Cramon-Taubadel (Greens/EFA, German).
“There was fraud, voters were brought in by bus, the elections were held under the influence, they were rigged. People have been robbed”, added Thomas Waitz (Greens/EFA, Austrian), who also called for an enquiry to be opened and for Member States not to recognise the election results until the findings of the inquiry are known.
On several occasions since the elections, the Serbian President’s government has questioned the assessments carried out by the observers and pointed to irregularities. For Austrian S&D MEP Andreas Schieder, these “attacks” on the observers - of which he was one - mean above all that “the criticisms made in the reports are well-founded”.
The majority of the European Parliament’s ‘pro-European’ groups supported an enquiry into the matter. For some, like Slovenian MEP Klemen Grošelj (Renew Europe), this situation should also be an opportunity to reflect on the reaction of the EU institutions, which he considers to be “too soft”.
In addition, some MEPs say that the EPP should play a mediating role, as the Serbian SNS joined the right-wing European group in 2016. “With inter-party dialogue, the EPP has a mediation tool at its disposal. Why not use it for this purpose? It is in our interest to have a democratic Serbia”, said Ms von Cramon-Taubadel.
Several voices have been raised to stress that Belgrade’s progress towards enlargement also depends massively on the state of democracy in the country. “Well-functioning institutions are essential for Serbia’s bid to join the EU. (...) We expect Serbia to demonstrate that it wants to move the accession process forward. We need comprehensive reforms and tangible results”, said Didier Reynders, the Commissioner responsible for Justice.
A resolution on the situation in Serbia will be put to the vote by MEPs at the next plenary session on 8 February. (Original version in French by Thomas Mangin)